Fabio Cannavaro after scoring a goal – hopefully you’re this happy when you reach yours!
We all have obstacles that hold us back from building our ideal bodies – whether that’s building lean muscle, losing fat, or becoming a better athlete (or all of the above) – there are always things that will hold us back, or at least give as “an out”.
A lot of the time all it takes is one thing to go wrong that beings the slide that eventually leads to us quitting.
If something does go wrong, here are 5 things that can help us remain, and even get back on track to achieving what we have set out to achieve.
1. Supplements
If you have a busy schedule, like most of do, consistently eating the right foods can be a big problem. Especially cooking the right meals when you’re constantly on the go. Supplements can be a great alternative that will give you the nutrients you need, when you need it.
Are they better than food? No. Real food is always the best choice in my mind, but we don’t always have time to make a full meal that has everything we need in it. If you don’t have time to make a chicken breast for example, protein powder is a great alternative. No almonds or fish around? Try fish oil tablets. Amino acids like L-Glutamin and BCAAs also help in recovery and Growth Hormone release in our bodies.
In a perfect world we’d have time to make an amazing meal 5-6 times a day. But we don’t. In this case, don’t give yourself an excuse to eat fast food. Instead, make a quick shake and take your vitamins.
Bluestar Nutraceuticals <—— is a great supplements company that I highly recommend. If you’re looking for a pre-workout boost, or some high quality supplements that’ll give your gains a boost. This is the company to go with.
2. Measurable Goals
If you write down goals – you’re awesome. Most people don’t know specifically where they’re going or what they want. But just having goals isn’t enough, you need to have measurable goals.
How much do you need to earn to have your ideal life? How much muscle do you want to add?
Without measurable goals, you won’t know when you reach them. If you write “I want to get in great shape.” When will you know you’ve achieved it?
Instead come up with what your ideal body would look like. For me – at 5’10 – I would be at 185 lbs, 6-8% bodyfat, with a whole bunch of other performance related goals. I know exactly what I’m aiming for. If I didn’t, I’d be striving for an unattainable goal.
If your goals aren’t measurable, you’re more likely to lose steam. Give your goals an end point so you can then reach them.
3. 5 minutes of Review Daily
Setting measurable goals is the first step. Reviewing them daily is the second. I have recently began spending 5 minutes at the beginning of everyday reviewing my goals. This accomplishes two things:
1. It gets me excited about the day and about all the work I’m going to do in my quest to achieve these lofty goals.
2. It keeps me focused on those goals. There’s less time spent on things that won’t help me achieve them.
Even if we have goals, we forget about them. They get put behind some new goals that we have, or new and more exciting things that we’re focusing on. Stay excited about your quest to build muscle – or whatever you’re aiming for – by keeping it at the forefront of your mind.
4. A Plan
You need a plan of attack if you’re going to achieve anything. This is especially true when it comes to fitness. A great way to have your workouts and your diet lose steam is to “do your own thing” when you’re training, or even with your diet.
Meal plans help a lot – especially when you’re first starting out. Whenever I’m starting a new goal or a new program, I’ll take the first two weeks to try out the meal plans. Once I get an idea of what I need to be eating as far as portions and so forth, I’ll start making a few little changes to make things easier with my schedule.
Find a plan that suits your goals, and stick to it. Keep track of your results along the way and stay active in the process of reaching your goals. Keeping track of your progress will help you stay motivated, but also give you an idea if you’re starting to slip or hitting a plateau.
5. Left-overs
Always make more food than you need. If you’re making burgers, make a bunch of them, chicken breasts the same. Having healthy food around the house will be a HUGE part of your success.
Snacking is what throws a lot of people off – something that you should either be avoiding, or finding healthier alternatives for, like almonds or veggies. Don’t even buy “cheat snacks”, they’re a waste of time. If you’re going to cheat, get it out of your system with a real meal, don’t just prolong it another few hours.
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